For years, Sunset Shimmer has happily held her place at Celestia's side. She was her prized student, her number one prodigy. In return, Celestia was Sunset's world, her passion and drive. However, with time and age come change, and Sunset cannot take it any more.
She doesn't understand why Celestia won't look at her any more, why she is so enthralled by the talent and simple nature of her newest discovery. All she knows is that as much as she may aspire and hope, she'll never again be the object of Celestia's interest.
Sunset Shimmer intends to leave, and she has no plans of returning.
Written for Oroboro's Sunset Shipping Contest: Changing Seasons
Special thanks to Ceffyl Dwr for pre-reading as well as helping me to iron out the creases in my original idea.
This was actually really nice and well written, I loved every second of it.
8364023
Thank you very much for the compliment! I enjoyed writing this story a great deal, and I'm happy to be able to share it.
AAIQU
I liked this so much!
8364068
Thank you mate! I'm very happy to hear so, cheers for letting me know!
AAIQU
This is amazing! Will there be a sequel?
8364088
I wouldn't rule out the possibility! I've not given too much thought to a sequel yet, considering that I hadn't even thought of this story two days ago, but I'm aware that the note it's been left on could make a sequel very possible! Thank you for the compliment by the way.
AAIQU
8364106
Thank you very much! I'm glad you thought so. Honestly, I may have taken one or two slight liberties with the characters considering the time setting and the events that had yet to transpire, but I tried to make it as authentic as I could! I'm glad you enjoyed the style, I was quite proud of it once I had finished!
AAIQU
Fucking amazing
I'm speechless.....
In a good way
This was a surprisingly good story. The romance part was uneccessary (you really could have accomplished the same thing if you had given them a mother/daughter relationship), but I guess beggars can't be choosers.
8364264
8364328
8364368
You're all lovely to say so, thank you!
I understand your opinion, calinjc, but I also feel that this story functions well with its current relationship dynamic. I can certainly see your perspective though!
Thank you all for commenting!
AAIQU
I absolutely loved this entire story!! Is it okay if I do a fanfic reading of this?? (With full credit to you, of course.) I just wanted to make sure if I had permission. :)
8364659
First off, a massive thank you for the compliment, and second, of course! Please feel free, my work is here to be shared freely. I'm grateful that you notified me and asked for permission, but by all means don't feel the need! It's flattering that you'd think my story was worth the effort.
AAIQU
8364681
Thank you so much!! It is definitely worth it, it's a very well written story!
*tears*
Sweet and tender. Have a fave!
Hey lookie! Another great story by my favourite British bruv! And top spot to boot
Cheers!
s19.postimg.org/51vvvsv8j/Screenshot_349.png
Have yet to read it, but I'm sure it's a whopper. I'll be back upon reading!
8364023
first comment wasnt rixk astleys never gonna let you go. i am dissapoint
8364368
Well, it was necessary to enter it in the Sunset Shimmer Shipping Contest.
Lovely story, the only thing wrong is a few grammar errors.
Also, cool! Young Twilight and Sunset bonding moments! 
image source link should be https://mrs1989.deviantart.com/art/I-m-Sorry-530760679
8365014
And it looks like you wasted your comment on not posting it either, pot meet kettle
8365034
Yeah im not the first one though.
Time to take a quick break from packing and reply to some lovely comments.
8364873
Thank you very much, I'm very glad to see you enjoyed it! I see you also entered the contest, I'll have to read your story as soon as I have a chance!
8364978
I'll teach you how to slang one day, Disco. But seriously, thanks a lot! The support from you is brilliant as always, and I'm glad you're looking forward to reading it! Cheers man.
8365014
Sorry man! If I could change it, I would.
8365027
It was necessary, yes, but I wouldn't have written this story if I didn't think it functioned best as a romance! I only had the idea after being shown the prompt, after all!
8365029
On another note, thank you very much! I'm sorry to hear there were any visible grammar errors, I'll give it a sweep for fixes at the first opportunity. I'm glad you liked the scenes with younger Twilight and Sunset, it's my first time writing foals so I wanted it to come across well!
8365033
I've noticed that the link you've posted here is indeed different, but when you click the one I've sourced, it takes you to the exact same page, with the same link you've posted as a url. However, I still might have made some kind of error, so thanks for pointing it out! I'll have a look at this as soon as I can.
Thanks everyone!
AAIQU
Up until now I always saw Sunset and Celestia as having a mother daughter relationship, now I ship them
Well done in every regard!
One question, will Twilight's relationship with Sunset change at all after Sunset and Celestia start dating? She views her as a sister after all.
All around aher great story.
Plot was brilliant.
The way memories and actuality were used side by side was brilliant.
The characters were written brilliantly.
I'd just suggest putting the alt.u. tag on here
Damn. This was good.
Huh, don't see Sunset and Celestia romance often. Its not my favorite (I prefer the mother-daughter idea) but you make it work very well. One of the nice things about Sunset is that she's... volatile. Twilight by comparison is a doormat (or maybe bookmat might be more accurate) much of the time, not that she's a bad character, I just mean that Sunset's strong personality is more likely to clash with Celestia. And here its got the romantic tension on top of the abandonment issues and feeling like she's not unique, like Celestia just treats every student like that. And worse, that Twilight outdoes her at the magic too.
Also nice to hear Celestia's perspective, that even after a thousand years she's still got old issues (and glad the whole "somepony has to save Luna" doesn't have much relevance on this story). Romantic or familial problems, that clash of personalities is part of what I find so fascinating about Sunset and Celestia, and this story did a great job of showing that.
8365533
First of all, thank you very much, and second, I'm glad I was able to make you see that! I'm very glad this ship has had some exposure, I'm hoping it will encourage this pairing to reappear in future!
As for Twilight, she's gonna be pretty conflicted, which I'm sure is understandable. I won't say too much on this just in case I end up writing a sequel, can't give away all the details ahead of time!
8365606
There are some brilliant compliments here, thank you for all of them!
As for the Alt. Universe tag, I did consider it. In fact, I almost published this as AU, but after a conversation with my pre-reader I concluded that since the events of this story happened prior to either EG or FIM season 1, it's feasible that this happened before the narrative we already know, mainly because we don't know what the result of Celestia and Sunset's relationship will be, nor where future events will lead them. Now, should I write a sequel that completely removes this story from canon (such as one that encroaches on the canon timeline and changes the events), at that point I'll put an AU tag on both that story and this one as it precedes it.
I did share your concern at one point though, so I understand why you raised it! Personally, I think this could have happened in the FiM universe.
I'm very glad you enjoyed it though!
8365791
Thank you! That's really nice of you to say, thanks for letting me know your thoughts!
8365792
I can understand your preference regarding Celestia and Sunset's relationship, but I'm glad I was able to make it work for you regardless! If anything, the fact you went into this with a preconception and still found yourself to enjoy it makes me even more proud of this story. (And I'm rarely proud of my stories!)
I'd say volatile is a pretty accurate way to describe Sunset, especially the pre-canon events Sunset I've depicted here. I've always liked Twilight's character, but I can definitely understand your opinion! There's quite a bit of contrast between the two. Not to say that one is more flawed than the other, just that they are two dissimilar mares.
I kinda stacked it on for poor Sunset, didn't I? Ah well, looks like things are on the up now. I tried to imbue plenty of diverse elements rather than making the whole story about one thing and one thing in particular, I feel it adds to Sunset's internal conflict if all her problems don't lie in the same place, but they can all be attributed to one (or perhaps two) ponies.
One thing I really wanted this story to highlight is that Celestia isn't perfect. This is actually a good thing. The fact she has flaws, vulnerabilities, and selfish moments behind closed doors makes her all the more 'human' and relatable. I think the important thing to remember in this story is that Celestia has not only been living without Luna for centuries, she's worried that should she ever come back, she's going to have to deal with the same internal conflict as before, but tenfold.
You've said some really lovely things here, I'm glad to be doing something right.
In fact, you've all said some pretty wonderful things! Thanks for the comments everyone, they all make me very happy.
AAIQU
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Sorry to break out into discussion here, can't help it
The story does actually contradict canon in two ways, though one of them is merely implied in this story and could be argued against.
That point beeing that sunset wouldn't have left equestria after this, would she? Now yeah, the relationship could go bad, so that's a weak point. Though i think sunset's reason for leaving in canon was that she wanted power, i might be mistaken here though.
One actual contradiction to canon however, is that Twilight would have certainly remembered sunset if they were under celestias guidance at the same time like in this story. In canon though, Twilight doesn't know sunset until the eqg events unfold...
But well, those are minor flaws, so i guess the tag can be left out.
8365994
No problem! I'm happy to answer this.
Considering the time of this story's events, Sunset still has years of time for things to potentially go sour with Celestia and for her to potentially leave. In other words, things could still pan out how they do in the show/films.
As for Twilight knowing of/not knowing of Sunset, I looked into this, but it's all pretty sketchy. In the comics, they can be seen in the same shot at one point in Celestia's castle, Twilight a filly in the background, and Sunset an adult in the foreground. For that to match up with the movie, time would have to move slower in the human world for ponies, that or Sunset just looks young for her age.
Regardless, while this may go against the part of the movie where Celestia has to explain who Sunset is to some degree, I don't think it's a terribly large alteration. There's always a (small) chance Twilight simply forgot who she was, she forgot about all of her other friends in Canterlot even when she was an adult, she was probably even worse as a filly!
So yeah, I agree there may be some slight contradictions here, but nothing world breaking!
AAIQU
8366010
Certainly nothing world breaking.
As for the time, equestrian time and human world time certainly doesn't line up.
My guess is that ponies in equestria live longer and therefore the, portal kinda de-ages the ones that walk through ( or ...up-ages?.... the ones to go to equestria through it.).
Congratulations on being one of the few stories that have almost managed to make me cry. You earned the favourite.
Amazing!!!
8366030
I try not to overthink it, too many headaches!
8366090
Well, I'm simultaneously glad and sorry! I know I should take it as a huge compliment, and I do, but something feels strange about being glad you almost (or did) made someone cry. Still, it means my story hit home, which is brilliant! Thank you very much.
8366187
Thank you! I'm very happy to hear you think so.
AAIQU
I loved this. I was skeptical of the ship, but you made it work beautifully. So heart-wrenching and real. Great work!
Does anyone know what happened to Ceffyl Dwr (the pre-reader)? Was he banned by request? I'd hate to see such talent leave.
This story goes straight into my favorites, the characters were done beautifully and the story was enthralling from start to end. With the way this story was heading I expected a oneshot of "and thats why she went to eqgworld", its been awhile that i've been truely caught off-guard by a fic.
10/10 would read at 5am again.
The transition from celly's confession onwards is cluncky as heck. I liked the story, and that's a rather unusual ship, but their reaction and reasons seem somewhat empty and out of place
Would still like a sequel, though
8366846
I'm very glad you were able to enjoy trying something new, thank you!
8366935
Ceffyl did self-ban, he wished to take a break from writing. He's currently working on something new and exciting though, so watch out!
8367275
If I've managed to catch someone off guard, I've done something right! Thank you very much for the kind words mate, and don't worry, I'm a 5am reader too half the time.
8367616
Thank you for the honest criticism, I'm glad to have heard your thoughts! I'll take some time to look over the story and get a handle on your perspective when I can. I'm glad you were able to enjoy it regardless!
As I've said above, a sequel is possible!
AAIQU
What a twist... but damn was it beautiful. ... heh, the thoughts of what might have been...
I have to say that was a good storu, what cloud of been if Tia for not go after Sunset, but she did, so happy times. Good story,good story!~
That was a sweet story.
Honest feedback? I was very confused as to the timeline in this last chapter. It wasn't clear at all whether Sunset was packing to escape through the mirror, or to have her stuff after she returns to Terrestria, or what.
Disregard my previous comment, I spliced this into another story and it was close enough I didn't notice.
This was beautiful, heart wrenching, and honestly perfectly paced. The Sad tag had me preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. The outburst where Celestia calls her Luna was a stroke of genius.
Thank you so much for sharing, and best of luck with the contest!
I was hoping that sunset would leave.
This was beautifully paced, very well written, and heart-wrenching, probably one of my favorites, actually (See, I have this private shelf just for the Creme' de' la creme', and this is up there), though I have one small criticism-
This might just be because I'm not big for Celestia ships in general, but I feel like the romance was unnecessary. Since it's in there, so be it, but I personally think this may be better as a Celesta/Sunset motherly, apprentice-like affection.
That said, this is...this is beautiful! 9.7 Derpy Hooves!
Thanks for making me cry... ya dick. But no seriously, this was so sweet, and so cute, and so heartbreaking, and so heartwarming. Thank you for this.
Celestia should know better. >.<
Ah, no matter how many times I read this, its just as touching as the first time I read it